General Pediatrics and Growth & Development
Domain focus
General Pediatrics and Growth & Development tests normal growth, developmental surveillance, nutrition, preventive care and common primary-care presentations. Items often combine a growth-chart description with a feeding or milestone history.
Core rules
- Plot weight, length/height, head circumference and BMI on WHO charts under 2 years and appropriate charts after 2, using corrected age for preterm infants until 2 years.
- Know key milestones: social smile at 6 weeks, sitting unsupported by 6–8 months, pincer grasp at 9–10 months, walking 12–18 months, two-word phrases by 18–24 months.
- Loss of skills, persistent asymmetry, or delay in two domains requires early referral, not reassurance.
- Screen for iron deficiency, lead exposure, vision and hearing according to local schedules; breastfed infants need vitamin D 400 IU daily.
Worked example
A boy born at 28 weeks is seen at 9 months chronological age because he cannot sit unsupported. His corrected age is about 7 months. Sitting unsupported is expected by 8 months, so he is near the lower limit but has no other delay. The best step is developmental surveillance, audiology and early-intervention referral, not simple waiting until 1 year. Recheck in 2–3 months and arrange formal assessment if he remains delayed.
Traps
Using chronological instead of corrected age before 2 years; labeling one missed milestone as global delay; switching chart types mid-series; missing feeding difficulty or maternal depression as causes of poor growth.